REVOLUTIONARY WAR PENSION APPLICATION - SOLOMON & SUSANNAH BECKHAM
Contributed by: James Heidlebaugh (heidleba@q-com.com)
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SOLOMON BECKHAM, son of Simon Beckham and Susannah
McMillian, was born 1764 in Granville Co, NC and died 25 Mar
1838 in Pike Co, GA. He was married on 20 Sep 1787 in
Richmond Co, GA to Susanah Stacy Weathers. She was born 1770
and died 3 Dec 1845 in Pike Co, GA.
Solomon Beckham was a Private during the Revolutionary War
for Georgia in Captain Samuel Beckham's Company attached to
General Elijah Clark Regiment of Rifleman. He was in the
Militia Muster Rolls - 1793.
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The following is a tracnscript of the Revolutionary War
Pension files in the National Archieves in Washington, D.
C.. Although the application was made by James Beckham the
only child of Solomon Beckham I have included it here
because of the information it contains.
REVOLUTIONARY WAR PENSION RECORDS
BECKHAM OR BECKCOM, SOLOMON - No. R 697 - GA
BECKHAM OR BECKCOM, SUSANNAH STACY
Washington D.C.
Mar 22, 1854
Sir;
The application of Solomon Beckham under act June 1832,
Georgia suspended file, I wish to be understood, it was
suspended for want of proof from Milledgeville, Georgia, I
wrote to his son Joseph C Beckham (This is the son of James
Beckham and grandson of Solomon Beckham) on the subject. He
replies as follows: I have repeatidly sent & written to
Milledgeville for further evidence of service of Solomon
Beckham and they invariable state that the evidence has been
forwarded to Washngton City. The muster rolls, certificates,
so I have been unable to prove any further testimony.
Respectfully
John S. Edwards
Hon. L. P. Waldo
Court of Pensions
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Declaration of James Beckcom alias Beckham only son and heir
at law of Solomon Beckham and Susannah Stacy Beckham, his
wife and widow.
State of Georgia
County of Pike
At the Superior Court for said county personally appeared
this trial day of May in the year A.D. 1852 James Becksom
whose name is sometimes written Beckham a resident of said
county aged in his sisty fifth year who being first duly
sworn according to law doth on his oath make the following
Declaration in order to obtain the benefit of the act of the
7 Jun 1832 granting pensions to soldiers who served in the
war of the Revolution and of the act of the 7 July 1838
extending such pensions to their widows. That he is the only
son and heir of the identical Solomon Becham who was as he
always understood & verify believed was a soldier in a
company commanded by Captain Samuel Beckham attached to
Colonel & General Elijah Clark, Regiment of Riflemen in the
service of the State of Georgia in the war of the Revolution
that his said father as he has understood & believed served
in said company as declarant states that he has heard his
father say that he enlisted for eighteen months & that he
served considerable service after that time but how much
service declarant does not know & cannot state the years
when such service was rendered but says he thinks it was
about the time the British were in proseession of the City
of Savannah and was engaged in several skirmishes with the
enemy & was at a subsequent time taken prisoner by the
Tories. And Declarant further states that his said father
was married as he has always understood & believes on the
20th day of September in the year 1787 to his mother
Susannah Stacy Weathers & that the said documents of said
marriage heretofore transmitted to the pension office &
these as he is informed on file was taken from the family
Bible and is in his father's own handwriting and is to the
best of his knowledge an original & true record thereof and
that the last figure of the year of the date of said record
was torn off by Declarants wife without any purpose or
design what was noting to this his application for a pension
and Declarant further says that his said mother Susannah
Stacy Beckham's real maiden name before her marriage was
Weathers as he has always understood & believes but that his
mother soon after the death of her father & whilst she was
very young, having intermarried with on Major Spurlock the
child was frequently called by his name - and Declarant
further says that his said father, Solomon Beckham departed
this life in said County of Pike on the 25th day of March
1838 (Note the 8 is hard to make out could be a 2 also) and
that his widow & the mother of Declarant also departed this
life in said County without having again married on the
third day of December 1845 and Declarant further says that
he was the only off spring of said marriage having been born
of the 8th day of November 1787 & is the only son & heir at
law of the said Solomon Beckham & Susannah Stacy Beckham
both deceased. Declarant further states that he has heard
his father say that he was not old enough to bear arms but
was shot at by some Tories at his father's, through emnity
to his brother Captain Samuel Beckham & feeling unsafe to
remain at home went & joined his brother's company under
Colonel or General Elijah Clark & remained in the Company
from that time till the close of the war. And that he has
often heard his father say that he was the one of the guard
who was conducting some Tory prisoneers to Savanah during
the session of the Legislature or Assembly as it was perhaps
then called when they were met by a Mr Paddy Carr with an
order to Captain Samuel Beckham then commanding said guard
to deliver up to him (the said Carr) one of the said
prisoners whose name he thinks was Josiah Ambrose who had
killed a lady (Declarant thinks her name was Mrs. Dooley)
while in bed thinking it to be her husband. After knocking
off the irons from the prisoner the said Carr hung him up to
a tree in presence of the guard.
Sworn to & subscribed this day or year aforesaid,
James Becksom
And the said court to hereby certify that the Declarant
James Beckcom is one of the most worth citizens of said
county being a man of large family & respectibility &
unimpeachable truth & verocity - and the said court do
hereby further declare their opinion that this said Solomon
Beckham was a Revolutionary Soldier and served as above
stated - this done & ordered in open court this 3rd day of
May 1852.
Jas Springer, Judge Pike Co
Benson Roberts, J.H.
William Anderson, JJC
Wm O. Kircherik, JJC
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State of Georgia
Pike County
Wiley E Mangham Clerk of the Superior Court hold in at
Zebulon in and for the county aforesaid do hereby certify
that dates factury evidence has been exhibited to said court
that Susannah Beckham the widow of Solomon Beckham,
deceased, a Revolutionary soldier, whose marriage took place
on the 20th, Twentieth of September A.D. (1787) Seventeen
hundred & eighty-seven according to records in family bible
which is hereunto annexed and who was intitled to half pay
and service from the United States according to Acts of
Congress of the third of March A.D. (1837) Eighteen Hundred
Thirty-seven & the (7) Seventh of July (1838) Eighteen
hundred & thirty-eight & subsequent acts of Congress
extending said half pay and pensions to the widow of
deceased soldiers of the Revolutionary War who had served in
manner set forth in the Act of Congress of the Seventh day
of June A.D. Eighteen hundred & Thirty-two, at the rate of
dollars per month. But never applied for service the same
was a resident of the county aforesaid on the third day of
December A.D. Eighteen Hundred Forty-five that she left a
son (and only legal heir of said deceased widow) whose name
is James Beckham and who is now a resident of the county &
state aforesaid.
In testimony whereof I have hereunto set by hand & affixed
the seal of my office at Zebulon, this the 5th day of
January A.D. 1851.
Wiley E Mangham, CIC
Pike Co, GA
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(Part of Bible record contained in file)
Solomon Beckcom and his wife then Susannah Stacy Weathers
was married Sept 20, 178_.
_______________ was born November 4, 1804
Matilda Hull Beckcom was born 23 Aug 1807
Solomon Beckcom, Junior was born October 1809
Thomas Bailey Beckhom
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Extant Surveyor's Records in Washington Co, GA
Beckham, Solomon - Aug 6, 1792 - Adjoining S Beckham
Beckham, Solomon - Aug 6, 1792 - Adjoining Coventon, J
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The following are the Bounty Grants of Georgia for Solomon Beckham:
1783 - 340 acres in Washington Co, GA - Grant Book QQQ, Pg 708.
1787 - 200 acres in Washington Co, GA - Grant Book OOO, Pg 529.
1787 - 287 1/2 acres in Washington Co, GA - Grant Book OOO, Pg 530.
1790 - 300 acres in Washington Co, GA - Grant Book UUU, Pg 150.
1793 - 50000 acres in Washington Co, GA - Grant Book YYY, Pg 406-455.
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The following article came from Washington County, GA Land Warrants, 1784-1787:
Solomon Beckham, 200 acres Bounty Warrant Renewed
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